Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress-Chapter 82 - 81: Broken Home_1
Chapter 82: Chapter 81: Broken Home_1
“Who came from Shuoyang?” she asked.
Nanny Qin looked troubled and said, “Only two of the unacknowledged elders of the same generation as the Crown Prince were sent over.”
The cold wind swirled with snow, and a sheet of white slid down from the eaves’ corner, disturbed by the tilt. The lanterns in the corridor swayed back and forth in the wind.
She pressed her lips together and remained silent for a while. Though the Bai family of Shuoyang and the Bai family of the Duke of Zhen’s mansion were about to separate in her generation, the Bai family of Shuoyang relied entirely on the Bai family for protection. Every year during the New Year celebrations, the legitimate members of the Bai family of Shuoyang would almost always follow, trying to foster closer ties with the Duke’s mansion.
Now, in the midst of the Bai family’s grand mourning, only two unacknowledged elders were sent. Although it doesn’t suffice to say they were opportunistic, it did inevitably come off as somewhat heartless.
It was human nature to seek benefit and avoid harm. She blamed no one.
...
Yet, there was still a faint chill in her heart.
She murmured, “Grandmother just took her medicine and lay down to rest. Let’s leave it for another day!”
Nanny Qin nodded respectfully and left hastily.
Bai Qingyan held her seventh sister Bai Jinse’s hand and walked to the front courtyard. They knelt before the spirit tablets alongside their mother, aunt, and sisters.
The fourth aunt, Mrs. Wang, seemed utterly defeated, lying beside the small coffin of the seventeenth child. No one could persuade her to leave.
The first to pay their respects was Madam Dong from Dengzhou, accompanied by almost the entire family.
After Dong Changyuan finished paying his respects, he looked at Bai Qingyan, who barely managed to hold back tears while giving him a greeting in return. His heart felt heavy, assuming that since the Bai family’s current situation was unclear, the Shuoyang clan had only sent two unacknowledged elders for the funeral. Those serving as officials were too afraid to come. Even their maternal relatives didn’t send anyone. Instead, the common folk of the Capital gathered at the Duke’s mansion gate, wailing in sorrow.
This incident with the Bai family vividly showcased the fickleness of political life.
After paying respects to the Bai family’s departed spirits, Madam Dong took Mrs. Dong to a secluded place and quietly asked about her future plans.
“Yesterday the Chief of Staff who is close friends with your elder brother advised him to distance himself from the Bai family. He said the Emperor might seize this chance to root out the Bai family entirely and suggested your brother should protect himself. I’ve been thinking, perhaps I should return and pretend to be ill. Our official line should be that Kid and Chang Yuan have had a marriage agreement for a long time. Even though marrying in such mourning is unconventional, if it’s for bringing good fortune to this old life of mine, nobody could say much. You should also ask the Eldest Princess for a divorce paper. We’ll return to Dengzhou; preserving what we can is more important.”
Madam Dong spoke rapidly, her thoughts evidently long premeditated.
Knowing the Bai family’s dire fate, she was willing to risk her life to save her daughter and granddaughter.
Mrs. Dong’s heart raced upon hearing Madam Dong’s words, “Mother… are you sure? Did the Chief of Staff truly say that?”
The Chief of Staff was always adept at gauging the Emperor’s sentiments.
“Would Mother deceive you?” Madam Dong clutched her daughter’s hand tightly, her voice tinged with a sob. “Mother knows your loyalty, but this is not a time for sentimentality! We must take it step by step, first pulling you and Kid out of this mire. Then, we’ll think of ways to save the Bai family members, one by one! There’s no need to worry about the Eldest Princess. She is, after all, the Emperor’s birth aunt. He wouldn’t do anything to harm her.”
Mrs. Dong quickly pondered, noting that Bai Jinxiu, the second daughter, was already married. Bai Jintong had also reached marriageable age. However, the fourth girl Bai Jinzhi, the fifth girl, the sixth girl, and the seventh girl were still very young! Her sister-in-law, Mrs. Qi, was also several months pregnant.
“Wanjuan!” Madam Dong grasped her daughter’s hand tighter, “Did you hear what Mother said?”
After a prolonged silence, Mrs. Dong looked at Madam Dong with tearful eyes and smiled, “Mother, since I married into Qishan… I made vows to Qishan. If I leave the Bai family at this moment, how will I face Qishan in the afterlife? How can I bear to let the world see that the strong spirits left behind ended up with a broken family?”
Madam Dong couldn’t resist hitting Mrs. Dong’s arm, “And you just want me to see a white-haired parent burying a black-haired child! What did you do to deserve this? What did Kid do to deserve this?”
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“Mother! Initially, I thought if Kid didn’t want to, the marriage between Kid and Chang Yuan could be called off. But now, since things have come to this, I will make sure Kid agrees to the marriage willingly or not. If the Bai family can overcome this trial… if not, I will leave Kid under your and my siblings’ care!”
As she spoke, Mrs. Dong knelt before Madam Dong and kowtowed, her voice choked with emotion, “Let Kid fulfill the filial duties I owe you!”
Madam Dong turned away, covering her mouth with a handkerchief as she wept, pounding her chest in sorrow. She understood that her daughter had resolved to live and die with the Bai family. How could this not break her heart as a mother? This was her beloved daughter, a piece of her own flesh.
Seeing her daughter kneel and not rise, Madam Dong reluctantly helped her up, her voice thick with tears, “You have always been stubborn and loyal since childhood! Before you even got married, you boldly promised your dear friend Yun Ying to make Qin Lang your son-in-law! And now…”
Unable to continue, Madam Dong sobbed and tightly embraced Mrs. Dong. “Since you wish to live and die with the Bai family, our Dong family will do its utmost… to protect the Bai family. I hope Heaven has mercy on your pure heart, and on the loyal spirits of the Bai family, and doesn’t treat them too harshly!”
“Mother… Mother…” Mrs. Dong held onto Madam Dong’s clothing tightly, crying uncontrollably, calling out for her mother.
Although Mrs. Dong was a remarkably strong woman, after crying, she began planning the escape routes for the Bai family members.
After the Bai family’s grand mourning, she needed to find a way to send these children out of the Capital. If anything unforeseen happened, they would be safely elsewhere. If the Bai family survived, it would be like they went on a journey, only to return.
·
The mother and son huddled in Qingming Courtyard occasionally sent people to the front courtyard for news. They learned that apart from Mrs. Dong’s maternal family, the other wives’ families had been too afraid of the Emperor to come and pay their respects. Their hearts turned cold.
Under the flickering candlelight, Bai Qingxuan lay on the soft couch, thinking that his weeping at the South Gate today might have only worsened his situation.
“Xuan’er, perhaps we should gather our valuables and flee!” the anxious woman suggested. “Given the Bai family’s current situation, it seems destined to fall as that Miss Bai implied! If we are blamed for a crime of extermination, we will die alongside the Bai family! My son, if we keep the mountains, there’s no fear of firewood to burn. At worst, we wait until the Bai family is at peace and return! You are the last hope of the Bai family! By then, you’ll be the esteemed Duke, and the wealth and honor of Bai Mansion will still be yours!”
